Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES DE LOSS MCOOMAS, OF CALHOUN, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,957, dated September 12, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DE LOSS MCOOMAS, of Calhoun, in the county of Henry and in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Coupling; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists iu the construction and arrangement of a car-coupling, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its` construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawin g, in which- Figure l is a side view, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section of my car-coupling. Fig. 3 is a front View of one drawhead, and Fig. et is a similar view, showing the means for uncoupling.

A represents the draw-head, on the under side of which is attached a metal box, B, the bottom of said box being inclined upward and toward the rear from the front. In the box B is a false bottom, C, curved, as shown in Fig. 2, which acts as a guide for the coupling-link. On the un der side of the head A, at or rather within the mouth of the box B, is a forked bar, D, which is open at its lower end, and immediately in front of said bar is attached a spring, E, bent in the peculiar form shown in Fig. 3, its ends projecting atritle beyond the sides of the box. The coupling-link G consists of a bar with a round head or ball on each end, as shown.

In coupling', the ball of the link slides up upon the guide O until the bar enters the forked bar D and, at the same time, forces the two arms of the spring apart and passes above those portions of the spring which come so close together. This spring thus holds the coupling-link from dropping out while the whole strain comes upon the bar l), which may be made in any suitable manner so as to withstand the necessary strain.

To uncouple, I attach, as shown in Fig. 4, a chain, a, to each end of the spring E, and carry the same around a pulley, b, in' the platform, the other end ofsaid chain being attached to a lever, d, pivoted on the platform. The two levers d cl are then connected by a foot-piece, e, so that by pressing down on the same the ends of the spring E are separated still further, which permits the coupling-link to drop down, and thus uncoupling the cars. On freight-cars the ends of the chains a c should be connected to rods running up the end of the car, and said rods attached to a foot-lever on top of the car.

Havin g thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The box B, with guide C, the forked bar O, and spring' E, all constructed and arranged, substantially as shown and described, with the drawhead of a railroad-car, for the purposes herein set forth.

2. In combination with spring E, the chains a a, levers d (l, and foot-piece e, or their equivalents, arranged substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 17 th day of February,

DE LOSS MCOOMAS.

Witnesses:

CHRIS. BIRKIEHT, JOHN B. SMITH. 

